Introduction: Chris Betz, new head of MSRC

By way of introduction, I am Chris Betz, the leader of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). I’m stepping in to fill the shoes of Mike Reavey, who has moved on to become the General Manager of Secure Operations, still within Trustworthy Computing.

Since joining the MSRC, I’ve spent time immersed in learning the business, meeting our global team of security research and response professionals and many of the other teams we frequently interact with here at Microsoft. That’s no small undertaking, as the MSRC identifies, monitors, resolves and responds to security incidents, ranging from cyber-attacks to vulnerability remediation. We respond to thousands of customer emails a year, and understanding our customers’ concerns and staying at the forefront of security is at the heart of my job. I’ve been impressed by the dedication, passion, and capability of the professionals who make it their personal mission to help protect our 1 billion global customers.

Before coming to Microsoft, I led information security practices at Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). Responsible for the security of our enterprise, my team and I were directly involved in implementing the technology and following the guidance in MSRC’s bulletins, blog posts and advisories. I am very familiar with how the MSRC’s work affects, impacts and involves customers, security researchers, consultants and IT pros – and I’ve worked with the MSRC in several of those capacities through my career. I’ve relied on information from the MSRC to make effective business decisions to protect our networks and, as an occasional security researcher, I’ve found technical analysis like that in the SRD Blog, to be accurate and informative.

As the new head of the MSRC, it’s my goal to continue Microsoft’s tradition of doing what’s necessary to help protect our customers. The MSRC has recently announced its progress report and MAPP expansions, winners of its bounty program and it marked a 10-year milestone of Update Tuesdays. I’m proud to be working here and involved in guiding the future of these and other programs. One of the reasons I love security and technology is that it is constantly evolving - there is always room for us to improve, evolve and change as the landscape we operate within changes and I’m excited to usher in the next generation of the MSRC.

I hope you’ll share my excitement as we continue on this journey together, helping secure our customers and the systems and devices they depend on.